I Shouldn't Be Alive
by DeadLight63
Summary: When their weather balloon crashes on a snow covered mountain top, three friends must battle sub-zero temperatures, starvation, and hostile environments in a desperate fight to stay alive...
1. Setting Off

**A/N This story contains dramatic scenarios, and material that may be disturbing to some audience members. Reader discretion is advised.**

_Monday, May 23_

Twilight smiled as she read the note over. She and her friends have just received an invitation to join the most famous sporting event know to ponykind. The Platinum Pony Games. Her, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack have been invited to the games, and each has been offered great rewards for victory. Next to her, Rainbow excitedly loads another bag into the weather balloon, while Applejack helps load the necessary supplies for the venture. Twilight smiles and grabs a bag of food, placing it into the balloon. Victory meant their dreams, hopes, and fantasies becoming reality. If Rainbow wins the title of most talented flyer, she is almost guaranteed a spot in the Wonderbolts, as well as a large pen for Tank, where he can be more free than ever before. If Applejack wins the title of most athletic, she wins nearly unlimited advertising for her family business, as well as better farming equipment. Finally, if Twilight manages to win the title of most talented unicorn, she gains riches beyond her wildest dreams, which she can then use to help Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy with their dreams. After all, almost all of her dreams had already come true, it was the least she could do.

"Well, I'd say we're just about ready to go." Applejack says as she loads one final bag into the balloon. Twilight smiles and looks to her right where Spike sits, reading off a checklist she had made for him.

"And, spare medical supplies... Check!" He said as he moved his pen in a check position. Twilight smiled and walked over to him.

"You sure you can handle the library all by yourself big guy?" She said teasingly as she rubbed his head. He chuckled and moved her hoof away.

"Totally! It'll be easy!" He says with a smile. But Twilight notices a hint of sadness in his voice. And she knows why. Ever since he had hatched, he had never been away from Twilight more than a few days, and now she was leaving for three weeks. She asked if he was okay with her being okay her being gone, and his smile vanished. He looked down and carried a sad look. Just like her, he was going to miss his adoptive family. Their relationship was stronger than that of a parent and their child, and they saw each other as brother and sister, but knew that their bond was stronger. Twilight smiled and gave Spike a hug, which he quickly returned.

"Just be careful Twi, the route you're taking to get there is really dangerous." Spike says. Twilight chuckles and pulls away, although she still holds his shoulders in her hooves.

"I promise you Spike, we'll be home before you know it." She said. Spike smiled and hugged her again. Twilight smiled and told Spike that she loved him, and he returned the favor. Twilight remembered something and reached into the balloon, quickly bringing out a small watch, it wasn't expensive, or valuable, but she knew it would carry value for Spike.

"This was given to me by my dad when I was little, before I even dreamed of being in Princess Celestia's school. I've had it my whole life, even though it doesn't fit anymore." She said with a smile. She looked up to Spike, who was observing the watch, and seemed to take interest in her story. Twilight took Spike's hand and placed it in it, slowly closing it around the watch.

"I want you to have it." She said. Spike's face beamed, and he thanked her as he placed the watch on his wrist. The two shared one final hug before Twilight had to go. Applejack had just finished saying goodbye to her family, and Rainbow had just finished telling Fluttershy what to do with Tank.

"You girls ready to kick some flank at the games?" Rainbow asked as she flew above the balloon. Despite insistence from both Twilight and Applejack, she said she was going to fly next to the balloon, only coming in the balloon when she needed a rest. Twilight nods and tells Rainbow to be ready to take off. She looks over to Applejack and nods, who nods back.

"Goodbye y'all! We'll be back before ya know it!" She said as she cut the line holding the balloon the ground. Spike, the Apples, and the others waved goodbye and wished them safe travels. With good fortune, this flight will only take two days, a much quicker time than walking, which would take a week. Twilight waves goodbye to Spike one final time, then sets off to prepare the course to get to the Games.


	2. Crash Landing

_Day 1-_

_Tuesday, May 24th, 8:52 AM_

Twilight and the girls have safely made it through the first day. Their main obstacles, the desert in Appleoosa, and the jungle just south of Hoofington, have both been successfully avoided. All that remains are the beautiful snow covered mountains that surround Canterlot, which are easily navigable. Rainbow, who is flying next to the balloon, is walking navigating a dense fog, but is doing so with ease.

"Twilight... look at that..." She hears Applejack say. Twilight looks out to her right, the opposite of Rainbow. Below them is a beautiful view of Canterlot, with the castle standing tall and proud. Twilight smiled and leaned against the edge of the balloon, watching as the town slowly faded away, into a heavy fog. Twilight looks around, the fog is unbelievably thick. Aside from Applejack and the inside of the balloon, she can not see anything.

"Uh... Rainbow... Is there supposed to be a fog today?" Twilight asked. Despite her searching, she can't see Rainbow, and merely has to rely on her sense of hearing to pinpoint her location.

"No, I checked al the weather planning for our trip, and this is not supposed to be happening!" She shouts. Twilight tries to find some of the flashlights she packed, but a branch nearly hits her face. She staggers back, trying to avoid the branch, but is hit in the back of the head by another.

"What's going on?" Applejack asks with fear in her voice. Twilight stares into the fog, mouth agape, shaking her head.

"We can't be this close this close to the ground yet!" She shouts. Suddenly, they exit the fog, and Rainbow is right in front of them, as well as the face of a mountain. Twilight only has enough time to start screaming before they collide. The balloon crashes, colliding into the mountaintop, slamming into Rainbow along the way. The impact throws Twilight and Applejack from the balloon, throwing them against the side of the mountain. The slope is covered with a thick sheet of ice, causing them to slide downward.

"What's happening?" Twilight hears somepony shout. Twilight looks ahead and sees a tree in front of them, which could kill them with a direct impact. She instantly shifts herself, sliding just barely to the side of the tree. She finds herself tumbling, completely at the mercy of the mountain. No matter what she does, she cannot stop herself. _This is it... I'm gonna die! _She thinks to herself. Twilight looks down, and sees a horrifying sight. A cliff, unbelievably high, it can kill them instantly. Twilight knows that the fall will at the very least cause severe pain, and at lest one broken bone. Desperately, she claws at the snow that rushes past her as she continues her downward plunge. Her head darts from direction to direction, trying to find anything that can stop, or slow her fall. Out of nowhere, she sees a possible lifeline. A small tree. With haste, she reaches out and grabs the tree. But it is too weak to hold her. The tree is rooted from the ground, doing nothing to stop her fall. Twilight looks back, now only inches from the edge of the cliff. She screams as she flies over the edge, plummeting to the ground below...

_Day 1- 9:21 AM_

Twilight awoke with a gasp, shivering. She can only think of one thing... She's still alive. But when she tries to move, she makes a horrifying discovery. Her right foreleg is completely broken, and she can barely move it.

"Twi! Twi get up!" She hears. Looking over, she sees Applejack with a bloodied eye, and several cuts along her body and face. She is gritting her teeth, desperately trying to lift the wreckage of the balloon. Twilight groans and stands, fighting the intense pain in her leg. She looks around, it is snowing very heavily, and the fierce wind brings a chill to her spine. She hears a pain filled moan, and looks back over to Applejack. Her friend is trying desperately to move the balloon, but only now does Twilight see why. The massive vehicle is directly on top of Rainbow Dash, and is crushing her alive. Twilight gasps and runs, before collapsing to the ground. She grits her teeth as the cool grip of terror in her body is replaced with a scorching heat, seemingly incinerating her insides from the intense pain. She growls in anger, forcing herself forward.

"Twi she's hurt! Help me!" Applejack shouts. Twilight rushes over as quickly as her broken leg allows, and lifts with all her might. The lifting of the balloon causes her foreleg to erupt into another fit of pain, but she grits her teeth and endures it. She has to save Rainbow, or she will be crushed to death. With one movement the two friends lift the balloon high enough for Twilight to grab their friend quickly. Applejack drops the balloon and rushes over to Rainbow, who has blood covering every area of her body, as well as one bone sticking right out of her knee. She screams in pain as her friends try ease her mind, and Twilight looks out into the blizzard. She stands and shouts;

"SOMEPONY HELP US!"


	3. Shelter

_Day 1- 9:25 AM_

Twilight shivered fiercely in the bitter cold. Next to her, her best friends lay badly injured, completely exposed to the elements. A blizzard is obscuring their vision, giving them no way to know where they are.

"Twi! We can't stay here!" Applejack shouts. Looking over to her, Twilight sees her holding Rainbow, who is gritting her teeth as her body vibrates violently. Twilight pants heavily as she tries to generate heat, but finds herself unable to. She knows that if Rainbow doesn't get somewhere at least somewhat isolated from the cold, she will freeze to death within minutes. Looking up, Twilight tries to use her horn to teleport away, but stops herself. Having no idea of where they are, teleporting could send them off of another cliff, or worse, into the paws of a dangerous predator known to these mountains. She slumps down and brings her forelegs around her, trying to keep herself as warm as she possibly can. She knows she has a difficult decision ahead. Staying here will result in almost certain death, but trekking out into the unknown can be just as hazardous. Not to mention her broken foreleg. If she puts any pressure on it whatsoever, she risks permanent damage, as well as a mountain of pain. Looking back over, she sees Applejack and Rainbow huddled close together, attempting to share what little warmth they have between them. With a great deal of effort, she gets over to them and joins their huddle. Despite her knowledge on this subject, Twilight knows that the safest way for them to survive is to wait until the storm passes, then search for shelter.

_Day 1- 10:02 AM_

When the storm finally passes, Twilight realizes how much more serious their situation is then she gave credit for. The canyon is lined with large ridges, each miles high. There is no way she can teleport all the way up without serious injury. Looking back over to the wreckage, she sees a jacket that she had prepared, along with food, water, and a lighter. She nudges Applejack, who is the least hurt of the group. Miraculously, all she has suffered was a sprained back hoof and a large gash on her face, but Rainbow is faring much worse. One of the bones in her hind legs has completely popped out of place, and is literally only a few centimeters from penetrating her skin. In addition, she has a massive puncture wound in her mid section. Which, while not hitting any crucial organs, has weakened her greatly, due to massive amounts of blood loss when the balloon crashed. On top of that, both of her wings are broken. Inspecting her own wounds, she sees her flanks bleeding slightly, as well as blood flowing from her lip. If anypony needs medical assistance now, it's Rainbow.

"AJ..." She says as her voice trembles. Applejack looks over to her, with one eye completely eclipsed by blood. She points out to the wreckage, asking her to gather any supplies she can. Applejack nods and gives Rainbow a pat on the shoulder as she gently sets her down in Twilight's forelegs. Twilight looks down to Rainbow, who is trembling badly, while blood pours from her mouth. She rubs her mane and tells her everything is going to be okay as Applejack salvages anything she can find. When she returns, Applejack has one medical kit, three jackets, a few cans of food, a lighter, two pieces of broken support beams from the balloon, and a jug of water.

"That's it?" Twilight asks, desperation and fear abundant in her voice. Applejack throws the supplies to the ground and breathes into her hooves, rubbing them together to get warmth.

"All I could get! Everythin' else was either destroyed or soaked to the point it wasn't any good no more!" She shouts as she flips open the medical kit. Twilight looks around, and sees a large opening. A cave. Twilight smiles, but then frowns. Despite being a possible lifeline, it could also be the home to one of many bears known to the mountain top. In their condition, the beast would have no difficulty in killing them. Looking back over, she sees Applejack wrapping bandages around Rainbow, trying to stop the bleeding from her midsection. Twilight looks back over to the cave, and groans. She has to give it the benefit of the doubt. Without shelter, they will freeze to death within hours.

"There's a cave over there! Let's try and get over to it!" She shouts to her friends as she attempts to stand. Applejack looks up to her and nods, just as she finishes placing the bandages. Twilight summons all the strength that she can muster, and helps raise Rainbow to her hooves, placing one foreleg around her shoulder. She groans in pain as her back hoof scrapes against the ground, rubbing against the bone. With great effort the friends reach the cave, despite a burning pain from both Twilight and Rainbow that cause them to collapse once they reach it.

"Let me make sure it's safe..." Twilight says as she tries to regain her breath. She closes her eyes and focuses, causing a sphere of light to form at the tip of her horn. It grows steadily larger as she focuses harder, and harder, until she shouts and fires it off into the cave. The friends wait... And see nothing. With a sigh of relief, Twilight gets Rainbow back onto her hooves, and walk into the cave.


	4. First Night

_Day 1 - 10:59 PM_

It has been over twelve hours since the weather balloon crashed, and Twilight shivered as the cold, damp cave continued to drip more cold water onto her head. The jackets only provided minimal protection from the elements, and the scant amount of food they had eaten did not provide her enough calories to burn. With such little body heat, only the small fire in the center of the cave proved to keep her warm. She raised her head, and watched as Applejack continued to tend to Rainbow's numerous wounds, which had stopped bleeding so badly. Unfortunately, she was still trembling very badly. With such gruesome wounds, and possible internal bleeding, her core body temperature had plummeted, leaving her completely at the mercy of the cold. Only her friends can keep her alive. Twilight shivered again, and slowly stretched her hooves out to the fire. It provides the desired warmth, and Twilight brings her hooves back to her frozen body, trying to heat herself up. She yawns, drowsy with all the energy she has exerted in the day.

"Easy now Twilight, try not ta fall asleep. I need yer help with this camp." Applejack said as she placed a heated rock underneath Rainbow. She gave a quick yelp of pain at first, but then sighed with relief as the rock warmed her. She sighed and laid her head against the wall of the cave. Twilight reaches her hooves back out to the fire, in another effort to warm herself up. She doesn't make an effort to stop shivering. She has read several books on survival, as well as training with survival experts as part of her extra activities when she was a filly. Shivering allowed the body to produce heat, and any additional heat was welcome. She breathed into her hooves as she brought them back to her face. Quickly, she placed her hooves to her forelegs, rubbing them to warm them up.

"So... How long till' anypony knows that something's up?" Rainbow asks as she shifts her head against the cave wall. Applejack takes a piece of the balloon she had gone back to get, and adjusts it behind her friend's head, creating a makeshift pillow. Rainbow groans, clearly aggravated that she is being babied.

"Hard to tell. Nopony's expectin' us for two days, we'll have ta hold out till' then." Applejack says as she slips another rock into the fire pit. Twilight takes a twig in her mouth, and tosses it onto the fire. The nearby trees have provided them with plenty of firewood, but they don't have any food to use it to cook. Twilight knows that a healthy pony can survive for weeks at a time without food, but in their predicament, food is going to be essential, as it provides calories that the body can burn to create warmth. Without it, they are all at severe risk of hypothermia. But these worries would have to wait until morning, when they had enough strength to go out and check for any more food that might have survived in the wreckage. Water would be another concern, but with a fire and plenty of snow nearby, they can simply melt it down in one of their bottles.

"I wonder how Spike and the others are doing..." Twilight says aloud. She looks up to see her friends looking at her, clearly wondering what their loved ones are doing as well. Applejack looks to the fire, and chuckles.

"I'd bet 50 bits that Big Macintosh is readin' Applebloom a story ta help 'er fall asleep." She said with a smile. Twilight smiled and nodded, watching the embers in the fire glow a light orange color, quickly fading into a dark red. Rainbow sighs and leans against the wall again.

"Well this sucks." She says. Twilight gives a short chuckle and nods.

"Yeah it really does." She says agreeingly.

"I third that." Applejack says as she holds up a hoof. Rainbow gives a short laugh as she looks over to the fire. She forms a frown on her face, and looks down to the ground. Twilight notices, and asks her what's wrong. Rainbow looks up, and Twilight can see that her friend's forehead has a small gash just above her eyebrow, but nothing to be concerned about. However, Rainbow's apparent gloom is something to be worried about, as she always tried to be upbeat.

"I just really wish I was at home... In my nice warm bed... Tank by my side..." She said longingly. Twilight frowns. Looking down, she thought about days long ago, when Spike would get scared in the night, and ask to sleep with her. She would always let him, and would just comfort him until he fell asleep. She had always enjoyed those moments, and Spike never did that anymore. Still, it was a fond memory, and it helped ease Twilight's mind whenever she was upset. Right now, she would give anything to have Spike by her side.

"Yeah... I can relate to that... I really miss Spike..." She said as she closed her eyes, tying to keep herself from crying.

"You two get some shut eye. We'll sleep in shifts. I'll take the first one, and Twilight can take the second." Applejack said. Rainbow lifted her head, raising an eyebrow.

"What about me?" She asked. Applejack gave a nervous smile and looked around, clearly nervous. Rainbow glared at the farm mare, waiting for her answer. Applejack chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head.

"Sugarcube, I don't think you're exactly in the best shape to be doing anything 'cept restin'. You're hurt mighty bad, and you need as much as you can get." She said. Rainbow couldn't argue with this, so she just grumbled and angrily glared at the ground as she adjusted herself to get comfortable. Twilight chuckled. Even when she was hurt, she was stubborn. It was a good thing some things hadn't changed. Twilight laid her head down on her hooves and let the cracking of the wood act as a lullaby as she drifted off to sleep.


	5. Deeper Wounds

_Day 2 - 8:03 AM_

Twilight looked over to Applejack, who was just now starting to get up. Rainbow still managed to sleep peacefully, oblivious to the world around her. Twilight sighed as she looked back down to her injured leg, wishing she could use her magic to restore it. Unfortunately, the wound is too gruesome to treat with just one unicorn's magic. Even Applejack, who was hurt the least of the group and served as a nurse for her family, could only stop the bleeding.

"Come on sugarcube, we gotta get whatever we can fore' it the weather turns fer the worse." Applejack says as she zips up a jacket, and throws another log into the fire to keep it strong for Rainbow. Twilight nodded and tried to step forward, but is horrified when she hears a distinct crunching noise. She gives a quick shout of pain and collapses, gritting her teeth. She gives a pathetic sob as a tear falls from her eye, and she feels Applejack grab her left hoof, and place one on her back.

"Twi... I really think you should stay here. That leg is really bad, you could damage it permanently." She says as she observes the bandages she had placed. More blood has appeared, fresh, filing the air with it's stench. Twilight shakes her head, and tries to stand once more.

"No, I got us into this mess... I have to get us out." She says with fire in her voice. She lifts a foreleg out, stepping forward. The pressure causes her back leg to give out once more, and she gives a whimper of pain. Reacting, Applejack catches her friend, and places a foreleg around her neck. She shifted, causing twilight to move onto a slanted position, making her rest on Applejack's body.

"Well then you ain't goin' without help." She says as she begins to drag Twilight along. There is still pain in Twilight's leg, but it is much less severe, and it only cause an occasional grunt. She took in a deep breath, blowing out evenly as a cool breeze swept through the mountaintops. She looked up to the sky, where the sun was shining brightly, but not giving desired warmth to the friends. Celestia wouldn't be able to help them out of this one. Twilight knows if they're to survive, they have to hold out for as long as they can, and pray rescue comes before death does.

...

Twilight lifted a piece of the balloon, trying to identify the bump that lie underneath it. She groans as she throws the top of the balloon back down, as she has only found a can covered in snow, rendering it unable to be used. The can was one the group had for breakfast yesterday, before they had set out to continue their journey. Now it would serve as nothing more than a container, which they had plenty of. She looked over to see more pieces of wood, which she decided she would collect for firewood. She gently limped over to the wood, making sure to drag her leg, instead of putting pressure on it by walking. Applejack had recommended this, and so far it was working wonders. Twilight took one piece of wood in her mouth and placed it on her back, which they had placed baskets that had once carried food.

"Find anything?" She shouted, trying to get Applejack's attention. Her friend turned to her, covering one of her hooves. Twilight squinted, trying to see what Applejack might have been hiding.

"Uh... Nothin' yet Twi, I'll let ya know the second Ah do." She said. Her tone seemed stressed, and utterly fake. Twilight walked slightly closer, trying to get a better look at her foreleg.

"Applejack, I know you're hiding something." Twilight said with a solid tone. AJ sighed and shook her head. She removed her hoof, revealing a long gash along her arm, which had just started bleeding. The blood appeared to have a purplish color, indicating that it wasn't getting air. Twilight's eyes shot open, and stared sympathetically at her friend, who she noticed was looking pale.

"There... You happy?" Applejack said as she recovered her wound. Twilight rushed over and inspected it. The blood was indeed lighter than red, not greatly, but noticeably. At such a high altitude, Applejack is not getting enough air, and her body is starting to suffocate itself.

"Applejack? Why didn't you say anything?" Twilight asked as a tear formed in her eye. Applejack groaned angrily and ripped her foreleg away from Twilight.

"Because both of y'all were hurt, and I wasn't lettin' little breathing problems get in the way of me helpin' you." She said as she rummaged for bandages to cover up the cut. Twilight grabbed her foreleg, and inspected the wound more closely. She took a small hair, used her magic to make it straight, and placed it into the cut. It went in halfway, so the cut wasn't entirely deep, but was still serious. The cut would cause her body to lose more blood, which would take away even more body heat.

"How did you even get this?" She asked. Applejack pulled her foreleg away, more gently this time, and found some bandages. She began to wrap them around her foreleg, and looked up to Twilight, who still awaited an answer. She sighed.

"Ah cut myself on a sharp piece of wood, it's nothing. I get way worse on the farm." She said as she tied a knot in the gauss. She took her teeth and bit the end of the gauss, ripping away. The gauss ripped in half, cutting it away from the bandages around her foreleg. She gave a quick sigh of relief as she placed the gauss back in her basket, and looked back up to her friend.

"Look Twi, Ah know that I should be gettin' more air, but that's why Ah'm out here. With more air, I can breathe easier than in that there cave." She said as she walked back over to the wreckage. Twilight caught her front leg, and Applejack stopped. She sighed and looked over to her friend, asking what she wanted.

"Don't overexert yourself AJ. We need you." Twilight said. Applejack looked down, trying not to look her in the eye. She nodded and pulled away, going back to the rubble of the balloon. Twilight sighed and checked on her own injured leg, where bleeding had stopped. Not much blood had flown, and the red spot was about as large as a small parasprite. Still, she knew that they were in a dire situation. The discovery of Applejack's breathing problems at this altitude only gave them one more battle to fight in their war against the wilderness.

"Princess... Please come soon."


	6. Scarcity

**A/N This story was on hold for a while, so sorry for anyone who was actually reading it.**

_Day 2 - 12:05 PM _

Twilight dragged her injured limb across the snow, squinting as she tried to find the cave. The snow came down softly, but there was a great mass of snowflakes that made it nearly impossible to see through all of them. She had gone out about an hour ago to search through the rubble again, but this time she hadn't let Applejack come along. She insisted that she get some rest, since it turned out she only had three hours of sleep, having woken Twilight up late on purpose. Twilight hated how AJ was just letting herself deteriorate. She could understand that she was concerned, but that didn't mean her own injuries weren't important. If she was having trouble breathing, she couldn't keep going back to the rubble and back. Looking to the right, she sees a small orange flickering, the fire. She placed one of her forelegs over her eyebrows, trying to keep the snow out of her eyes. The snow that had already made it onto her before stung, almost giving off a burning sensation. She had read about dry ice, and how it was so cold that it actually burned to touch it. She wondered if something like that was beginning to happen to her. She shook her head, trying to clear her head. If she was going to survive, she couldn't focus on all of the aliments that were befalling her. She had to stay positive, believe she was going to come out alive. Grunting, she pushed herself forward, trying to keep herself calm. The snow felt like cinderblocks as she forced her way through the thick blanket of the white stuff. It takes an extraordinary effort just to reach the opening of the cave, which Twilight knows is a result of hunger. It's been over a whole day since she has eaten anything, and her body is already starting to feel the gruesome effects.

"Nothing?" She hears from the side. Rainbow is looking over at her, with a small amount of what looks like soup in one of three bowls they had saved from the morning. The group had only managed to salvage four cans of food, and there was no way it was going to last them very long. She sighs and shakes her head.

"That rubble's no good anymore. We already have everything we can get from it." She said as she shakily sat next to the fire. Inside a small can is a small portion of soup, sitting next to a bowl. Next to the fire, Applejack gently pours the soup into the bowl. The last few drops stick to the inside of the can, and Applejack has to shake the can to get the last of it out into the bowl. She places the can to the side of the fire pit, and hands the bowl to Twilight. Twilight stares at it a moment, then shakes her head, pushing it away, despite the protest of her rumbling stomach.

"Rainbow needs that warmth more than I do. Give it to her." She says calmly. Rainbow laughs and sits up for a moment.

"I've been sitting in front of a fire all day, and you've been out in the snow. I think it's safe to say you need it more Sherlock." She says with a slight chuckle. Twilight looks over to her friend, and sees her resting comfortably against the side of the cave. She has a smile on her face, despite knowing how serious their situation is. Looking back over to Applejack, she sees her with a much more serious, somber expression. She's about to offer her the soup, but she shakes her head.

"Just take it Twi. Ya need it real bad." Applejack says as she holds the bowl in front of Twilight. She looks down to the soup, which is a orangeish color with orange and green chunks in it. Sighing, she takes the bowl from AJ's hooves, and instantly feels warmth in her hooves. The soup warms her body as she takes a sip of the liquid, allowing herself to sigh in relief as her stomach finally gets some food. She places the bowl down for a few seconds, before raising it to her lips once more. All to soon the soup is gone, leaving her feeling warmer, but still hungry.

"Not exactly filling... But I'm grateful." She says as she wipes her mouth, getting any of the stray fluids. She places the bowl to the side of the fire pit, then curls up into a ball, trying to keep the warmth from leaving her body. Applejack stands up, and looks to the outside of the cave. Her mane blows slightly in the low breeze at the front of the cave, making her appear to shiver. She groans, clearly anxious about something.

"What's wrong AJ?" Twilight asks as she brings herself to a standing position, careful not to put pressure on her foreleg. She limps over to her friend, who is shaking her head. Applejack looks over to her, anxiety and sadness in her eyes. But above all else is another thing, this one much more serious. Fear. Twilight wraps a foreleg around her friend as she sits down, as does she.

"We'll be okay." She says calmly. Truthfully, she wasn't so sure. Today was when they were supposed to arrive, but the last time you could check in for the games was tomorrow. That was when everypony would suspect that something was up, not today. They were stuck out here for another day, which may be to long for Rainbow Dash. Still, she had to remain positive. Survivors didn't get through their ordeals by pouting and declaring they were going to die. Ponies who did that never lived to tell the tale. For her sake, Rainbow's, and Applejack's, she had to remain strong. Applejack sighs and looks over to Rainbow, who has finished her soup and placed to the side of her. She looks back over to Twilight, and motions over to the fire. Beside it is three cans of food, which is what she seems to be trying to get at.

"We can't only eat one a day, it's to cold for that. But we don't have enough food to last us for any longer den' tomorrow. We won't be found by then." She says with a hint of dread in her voice. Twilight considers this, and lets go of AJ for a moment. She can't deny that her friend has a point about the cold, but she was sure they could make it on one can a day. There was nothing saying a mountain climber couldn't find them in this ditch, but it was unlikely. Very unlikely. She looks back over to the food, conflicted on what to do. Does she save the food for one a day, and risk colder days and nights, or take AJ's advice and use more than one a day? She needs to think.

"I don't know..." She says as she brings a foreleg to her head in though. There was no real harm in taking two each day, but that could waste their food. One a day wouldn't give them as much heat or calories to burn, which was just as dangerous. She sighs, and looks back over to Applejack, who is awaiting a reply.

"Ok... Here's what we do. No more food for today. Tomorrow, we'll eat two cans of food, and save the last can for the next day. That way we get enough food for three days instead of just two." She says with a solid tone. Applejack brings a hoof to her chin in thought, where the blood stain from her injury gained from this morning has grown slightly larger, but not greatly. Twilight looks over to Rainbow, who is tossing a rock against the side of the wall. The mare looks over to Twilight, and nods, implying that she is doing alright, and that she can hear what they're talking about. She approves of Twilight's idea. Applejack sighs and looks back to her friend.

"Fine, that sounds like a good idea. We still have to go out and collect firewood though." She says with a harsh tone. Twilight nods, and watches as her friend goes over to Rainbow, checking on her. She looks out of the cave, where it continues to pound them with softly falling snow. Clouds in the sky above continue to pour out the snow, despite the fact that there were no pegasi in the sky. This must have been one of the places where weather somehow managed to control itself. Unfortunately for them. She sighed and shook her head, wondering when this nightmare would end.


	7. Hopeless

_Day 3 - 9:04 AM_

With the second day stranded finally over with, Twilight awakes to the soft dripping of water from the tip of the cave. The brutal weather outside has not let up since she went to sleep, making any chances of rescue impossible. Yet another day will have to pass before the group has any hopes of rescue. Twilight sighs and looks over to Rainbow, who is sleeping soundly in her corner of the cave. The last two days had really been tough for her, because of her inability to do anything. Despite her insistence on being able to help, Twilight and Applejack had not had her do anything. Even with this, her being asleep made Twilight fell a little more at ease. Looking to the right, she sees Applejack right next to the mouth of the cave, sitting close enough for the breeze to blow through her mane slightly.

"Applejack you should probably get away from there. It's too cold to do anything." Twilight says as she stands. Stretching, she lets out a long yawn before shaking her head to wake herself up. Her broken leg is doing much better than it first was, and she is even figuring out how to walk without the use of it. She shakes it a bit to get some feeling into it, then hovers it gently over ground. Slowly, she makes her way over to Applejack, who has still not made any indication of moving away from the cave's opening. As she gets closer, she hears what sounds like forced, difficult breathing. Raising an eyebrow, she pauses a moment, listening closely. The breathing grows steadily louder, as it begins to gain a wheezing sound to it. Twilight looks to Applejack with concern in her eyes, gently making her way forward. Upon reaching her friend, Twilight tries to call out to her again, but freezes.

"Applejack?" She whispers at an almost inaudible level. Applejack's face has grown paler than a ghost, and her breaths are heavy and uneven. The hard, struggling breaths Twilight had heard had been coming from the farm mare. Aside from this, there are very large bags under her friend's eyes, giving hints to massive sleep deprivation. Even her eyes give the indication of her being weak, as she can hardly even keep them open. Twilight looks in terror at the condition of Applejack, as she notices her breaths becoming further, and further apart.

"Applejack? Applejack! Say something!" She shouts. Applejack gives a sickly moan, and closes her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she haunches over, looking like she's about to pass out. Twilight places a foreleg on her friend's chest, shaking as she does.

"Twi... Ah... Ah can't breathe..." She says, barely above a whisper. Twilight looks outside, still seeing the storm. Nothing was going right, Applejack was the strong one, right? She was able to take the most punishment out of any of them, why was she struggling so much? Hadn't she been hurt the least out of the three? Applejack lets out a choked breath, and begins to cough quietly.

"Applejack come on! You're okay! Everything's fine, alright?" Twilight says, the panic and fear in her voice becoming clearer and clearer. She hears a yawn, and looks over to where Rainbow is resting. The pegasus has woken up, and is now stretching out her limbs. Normally, Twilight would have told her to let everything rest, and move as little as possible. But right now she had something more severe to deal with. Applejack groans again, and plants her hooves on the ground. Twilight places a hoof on her back, telling her to calm down and pace herself.

"Ah'm... Ah'm fine... I don't need any help..." She says as she pushes herself upward. Despite her efforts, Applejack collapses onto the cave floor, as she continues her uneven breathing. Twilight lets out a short shriek, and kneels down beside her. Applejack's eyes have shut, and her breathing is slowing down.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Rainbow asks. Panicking, Twilight places her ear to Applejack's chest, begging to hear something. From the confines of her friend's torso, she can hear a weak, but steady rhythm of pumps. Applejack is still breathing, but the lack of air and sleep combined have caused her to black out.

"Okay, okay, she's alright, I just have to get her to the back of the cave." Twilight says to herself, taking the collar of Applejack's coat in her mouth. She groans as she pulls with all of her strength. Her friend didn't way that much, but there was a reason Applejack had been the one nominated for most athletic. Twilight groans in pain as she realizes the strain she is putting on her broken leg. Wave after wave of intolerable pain shoot into her leg as she bites down harder on Applejack's collar. Tears flow of her eyes, but she keeps pulling, unwilling to leave Applejack vulnerable to the elements.

"Twilight! What's wrong with Applejack?" Rainbow shouts, sounding concerned. Releasing Applejack, Twilight whimpers and leans against the wall of the cave, tears flowing out of her eyes. She had never been in so much pain.

"She's blacked out! I don't know if she can last too much longer." Twilight says as she grits her teeth, looking over to Applejack. Her chest is rising slowly, giving very little evidence of any activity at all. Looking across from her, Rainbow is completely terrified, unused to seeing her friend in such a bad state.

"W... Well what the hay do we do? We can't just leave her like this!" She shouts as she tries to get up, resulting in a yelp of pain. Crashing back onto the wall of the cave, she growls as tears flow out of her eyes. Twilight groans in pain as she gets back up, slowly making her way over to Applejack again. The exhausted wheeze in her breathing has grown even more distinct, giving Twilight even more reason to fear for her condition. This was worse than she thought.

"Well, don't just stand there! Do something!" Rainbow shouts angrily, clearly aggravated with Twilight's lack of action. But all Twilight can do is kneel down and check for anything that might be hurting her.

"This isn't something I can just fix Rainbow! Her brain's not getting enough oxygen, her whole body's shutting down! She needs medical attention!" She shouts as she listens to her heart beat again, which is still going at the same rate as before. Rising her head, she looks down at her friend, who is continuing to let out struggling, and what seems like painful breaths.

...

Rainbow stares in horror at Twilight, frozen stiff by the news Twilight has just told her. Not getting enough oxygen? That thing wasn't supposed to happen in real life right? Just books and stuff like that! This couldn't really be happening, could it? Rainbow tried to get up again, but the fire igniting in her wings and lower back sent her right back down to the cave wall. Why did she have to be hurt so badly? This wasn't fair! She had to do something! How could she just sit here while her best friend was dying?

"Rainbow, you overexerting yourself is not going to help anything!" Twilight shouts as she grabs Applejack by her collar. Rainbow grits her teeth, looking angrily at the roof of the cave. She wasn't scared, she was angry. Furious. Why hadn't those pegasi she had talked to told them about the weather? They had said it would be clear skies for the entire tournament! Why had they not told her about the plans for a fog? Shaking her head, she looks back over to Twilight, who is almost right next to her now. She drops Applejack right next to Rainbow, her breathing now more forced then ever. Rainbow groans as she reaches out and pulls her closer. She didn't know what this would accomplish, but having her closer to her made her calmer somehow. Looking back up, she can see Twilight throw the hood of her jacket over her head with her magic.

"Where are you going?" Rainbow asks with a confused tone.

"I'm going to look for help." Twilight says with confidence in her voice. Rainbow narrows her eyes, wondering if Twilight had lost her mind. Looking for help? Hadn't they done that on day one? And they had found nopony, right? What did Twilight think would come out of a second attempt?

"Are you crazy? The weather out there is the worst storm I've ever seen! And I make the weather!" She shouts angrily. Twilight wasn't trying to keep them alive, she was committing suicide. There was nopony out there, and nothing Twilight did would change that. Twilight shook her head, demanding that there had to be something to help them. Rainbow couldn't take much more of this, her friend was being an idiot. Wasn't she the smart one?

"If I don't do anything, Applejack is going to die! I'm not just sitting around and letting my two best friends die right in front of me!" Twilight shouts angrily, dragging her injured leg behind her. In a fit of anger, Rainbow shouts out;

"YOU'RE THE ONE KILLING US!" Twilight freezes, standing perfectly still. Rainbow breathes heavily, her teeth grit and her eyes full of fury. This was idiotic, nothing that Twilight did was going to make a difference, and now she was abandoning them. Rainbow couldn't help but feel betrayed. Twilight was supposed to be her friend, but she didn't care at all. If she did, she'd stay, and help Applejack. Rainbow didn't know what to do, but Twilight had to have read some books on how to at least help. Twilight lowered her head, but continued to walk away. Rainbow gave a disgusted grunt and looked away. She wasn't sorry for what she said. The way she saw it, that was the way it was.

_Day 3 - 11:02 AM_

Twilight shivers in the bitter cold as more and more snow blasts her in the face. The snowflakes had ceased being soft on her fur long ago, now feeling more small shards of ice making contact with her skin.

"Somepony! Please! Help us!" She shouts again, desperately trying to gain somepony, anypony's attention. Despite her shouting, her only reply was once again, just the sheer roar of the icy blast. Looking up, she sees nothing but white in all directions, as her body continues to grow colder and colder. There was nopony. Not a single soul had any idea they were in danger, in the bitter cold and inhospitable weather that made the Canterlot mountains unfit for life. Collapsing onto the knees of her legs, she begins to feel tears well up in her eyes, as her voice grows shaky.

"Hello? Please! Help us! Don't let us die like this!" She cries out in hopelessness. Once again, she gets no answer. She begins to cry softly, as the words Rainbow said to her once ring in her ears once more. The ones blaming her for killing them. Was it all her fault? Were Rainbow and Applejack suffering because of her? Was she really killing them? Sobbing, Twilight hung her head, wailing loudly and bitterly. Her friends were dying, and there was nothing she could do. And it really was all her fault. She was the one who had told them all about the games, made them want to go. Why had she opened her big fat mouth?

"Why... Please..." She chokes out between her sobs. The wind continued to blast her face, making her tears feel frozen as the fell down her cheeks. If she stayed out here she would die, no question about it. But she had been out here for two hours. How would she find her way back? Looking up, she tries to think of a spell that could help her, anything that could get her back to her friends. Sniffing, she stands up, and begins to focus as she pushes a burst through her horn. A shockwave shows a red outline of all the steps she took, but blue ones show her the way back to the cave. She's just about to get going when she collapses, landing the snow. Looking back to her leg, she sees that it had completely given out. It's too weak to walk on, or even drag. Gritting her teeth, she groans in agony as she stands and lifts her leg over the snow, uncomfortably hopping as she tries to get back to the cave.

_Day 3 - 11: 22_

Rainbow lays her head against the cave, groaning as she allows her body to rest. Applejack had stopped breathing again, forcing Rainbow to do CPR. Since the slightest movement caused her to cringe in pain, performing the CPR had been the most agonizing moments of her life. Still, knowing that it would save Applejack kept her doing it, and trying to give her more air. Rolling over, Rainbow thought about what she had said Twilight, wondering if she had been too harsh. Now that she had thought about, Twilight was just doing what she thought would help. Leaving them definitely couldn't have been easy. She was trying to save them, and all Rainbow had done was scold her for it. Sometimes she didn't feel very loyal, even if she was. Now was one of those times. Shouldn't she have trusted Twilight? Everything she had done so far had kept them alive, right?

"Just be okay..." She whispers to herself. It has been over two hours since she had gone to find help, and there was no indication that she would be back soon. All she wanted was to know that her friend was okay. Just as she's about to roll back over, she sees a dark figure in the mouth of the cave. Leaning her head forward, she squints as she tries to see what is coming. The figure soon begins to take form, until it reveals a pony. Twilight. Rainbow groans as she tries to get up, and meet her friend. A wave of rejections from her limbs send her back down to the ground.

"Twilight?" She asks, trying to make sure it's her. Although the figure is silent, it's position now reveals a purple color, along with a purple and pink mane. Rainbow sighs in relief, and lays her head against the back of the cave. Her friend enters the cave, where Rainbow notices her red eyes. Has she been crying?

"There... There was... Nopony..." She says with a shaky voice, moving uncomfortably to the fire, shaking as she went. Upon reaching it, she lets out a pathetic whimper and collapses next to the fire. Reaching out, she shakes as she lets the fire warm her body, all while still shaking.

"I... I'm so sorry... I..." She tries to say, but her tears prevent her from speaking. Rainbow sighs, and looks away. Her words have haunted her the entire time, she could already tell.

"Look Twi... I shouldn't have said what I did... And..." She began to say, but Twilight interrupted her.

"You were right... I... I should have stayed..." She said with a shaky voice, pushing herself upwards. She leans against the back of he cave wall, gritting her teeth as she did. Rainbow looked away, feeling unbelievable guilt over her friend's condition. Why had she been so harsh? Twilight still has tears in her eyes when Rainbow apologizes for her words, but her apology does make her calm down a little. Looking back up to her, she shakes her head.

"It doesn't matter now. We just have to keep Applejack alive until help comes, then they can take care of her." Rainbow nods, although silently, she's sure that Twilight is wondering the same thing she is. If help will come at all.


	8. Fear at Home

_Day 3 - 2:43 PM_

_Ponyville_

Spike paces back and forth in the library, wondering why Twilight hasn't sent a letter yet. She promised that she would send at least one letter a day, yet he hasn't heard any word from her yet. It wasn't like Twilight to miss deadlines, something had to be wrong. His paranoia only increased when he learned from the Apples that Applejack had failed to send a letter home after the first day too. He hasn't slept in over eighteen hours, and almost everypony in Ponyville is telling him that he's overreacting. But how could he be? He knows Twilight better than anyone, and has a distinct dread that something has happened.

"Why hasn't she written? She can't be hurt... She can't be! Can she?" He repeats to himself over and over again. The only thing he can think of to do is write a letter to Princess Celestia, but how would she respond? Would she react the same way? Would she too think he was just overreacting? No... She couldn't, wouldn't. Princess Celestia cared about Twilight almost as much as he did, and she had to expect something. Rushing over to the writing station, he grabs a quill and some ink, instantly getting to work.

"Dear Princess Celestia..."

_Day 3 - 2:50 PM_

It's afternoon, the hottest part of the day for Equestria. This provides almost no relief, however, for Twilight and her friends. Even with the sky clear for the first time since their crash, the weather is still freezing cold, with the snow on their jackets now melting and making it's way inside Twilight's sleeves. She shudders as she reaches out to warm her hooves by the fire, which is still going strong. Applejack still hasn't awoken, though her breathing has become more steady.

Looking to the side of the cave, she watches as the sun shines brightly. As she does, she can't help but think of Princess Celestia. She had to think something was wrong... Right? She knew her well enough to know that she should have sent a letter by this point. Why hadn't help arrived? Was she being hopeful, or was something happening back at home? Looking away, she closes her eyes and shakes her head. She couldn't be thinking like that. She has to stay strong.

Opening her eyes, she curls up next to the fire, bringing her tail around to serve as a makeshift blanket. It wasn't much, but it helped.

"Twi... Did I ever tell you about my first time watching the Wonderbolts?" She hears. Looking up, Twilight sees Rainbow looking back at her. She seems to be sad, though she probably wouldn't admit if she was. Twilight shakes her head.

"When I was five... I saw a Wonderbolts poster, and I asked my dad if I could see them. He said we didn't have the time to at that moment, and he was sorry." Rainbow gives a soft chuckle. Looking down at the fire, she continues.

"On my sixth birthday, he surprised me with two tickets to see them. I must have been the happiest filly in the world at that point... We went, had a great time... He even got me a Wonderbolts hat... A signed one too..." She says as she lets out a soft smile. Twilight allows herself to give a soft smile as well.

"Not much of a story... I know... But... I thought it would brighten things up." Rainbow says as she readjusts her head against the wall of the cave. Twilight chuckles, and looks back down at the fire.

"It did. Thanks for that Rainbow."

_Day 3 - 5:21 PM_

_Ponyville_

Spike read the letter over again, making sure that he had read it correctly. Sadly, his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. The Princess had just received word from a messenger that Twilight's weather balloon never arrived at the tournament, and the officials had come to let the girls know they had been disqualified. Both the messenger, and officials had been shocked to learn that they did in fact leave for the competition three days ago, and should have arrived by now.

The Princess informed Spike that unless Twilight, Rainbow Dash, or Applejack sent a letter by tomorrow morning, a search party would be formed to find them. That was too long for Spike. They needed to be found now, if the weather balloon didn't show up, they had to be in trouble. He could not sit back and let his friends and closest thing to a family he had remain missing, and possibly hurt. It was not an option.

If he had any clue as to where to look, he would be out there right now, searching for something, anything that could help him find them. But he doesn't. No one has seen them since their last stop in Hoofington, and that itself, is not enough.

"Twilight... Please be okay..." He says to himself as he observes the watch on his wrist. Looking at it filled him with a horrible fear: Would this be the only thing he would be able to remember her by?

_Day 3 - 9:02 PM_

Twilight curls up to the fire, as the winds outside blow unforgivingly against the mountaintops, filling her bones with a fierce chill. To make matters worse, another blizzard has started up, making it impossible to see outside, making rescue impossible for another night. For the third time, she would have to endure a painfully long and cold night on the mountain.

Only Applejack remained unaware of the howling wind outside, still blacked out from her lack of oxygen. Rainbow Dash lay wide awake, shivering against the walls of the cave. The once lightened mood of the group has quickly faded, once again leaving them in a depressed silence. Looking over to her farming friend, Twilight wonders if she will ever wake up. She has been unconscious for the past 12 hours, and her condition is not getting any better. According to Rainbow Dash, she actually needed CPR not once, not twice, but three times while she was out. Their friend was in desperate need, and help was not coming.

If things didn't turn for the better soon, Twilight knew that her friend would die. Trying to keep her mind off of this subject, she closes her eyes and nestles her head in her hooves, trying to stay as warm as she can for the approaching night.


End file.
